Laneside, Then Left a Bit? Britain's Secret Political Talks with Loyalist Paramilitaries in Northern Ireland, 1973–1976

Abstract

This article examines talks that took place between British government officials and loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland at a critical moment in the most recent Troubles. In particular, this article describes talks that took place secretly at the Northern Ireland Office's ‘Laneside’ building, a secluded suburban house used by British diplomats and MI6 officers on the shores of Belfast Lough between 1971 and 1976. Drawing on both recently released archive material as well as interviews with those who worked at and visited Laneside, this article explores what went on at these talks and analyses their outcomes from three different perspectives. This article demonstrates that the most accurate perspective from which to view what occurred in these meetings is neither top-down (government led) nor bottom-up (paramilitary led), but one that looks at what went on there as part of a conversation which both sets of participants for a time found useful. For the loyalists, Laneside had a role as a venue to think about strategy (rather than negotiate ends). For the British these were conversations that were useful in furnishing their understanding of loyalism, and as a place where policies could be explained and problems better understood. Looking at what occurred at Laneside as a semi-autonomous governmental body in Northern Ireland reveals key insights into both the loyalist paramilitaries' political ideas as well as the aims of British policy in Northern Ireland. Furthermore, this middle perspective holds a mirror up to the more familiar talks then occurring between the very same British officials and the Provisional IRA.

Keywords:

• Northern Ireland
• peace talks
• loyalism
• Ulster Volunteer Force
• Ulster Defence Association
• Ulster Workers Council Strike

Notes

1. TNA:PRO, FCO 87/342, FCO 87/343 and FCO 87/344. Meetings with Laneside Officials (mostly James Allan) and UDA representatives occurred on 12 June, 19 June, 21 June, 25, June, 3 July, 22 July, 20 September, 7 August (combined loyalist meeting), 7 October, 27 November and 10 December 1974.

2. TNA:PRO, FCO 87/341 and FCO 87/342. Meetings with Ken Gibson, UVF representative, occurred on 9 April, 21 May, 27 May, 29 May, 26 June (×2) and 7 August 1974.

3. TNA:PRO, FCO 87/341, ‘Note of a meeting between the Minister of State and a (UVF?) delegation led by Hugh Smyth in Stormont Castle’, 9 April 1974.

4. Ibid.

5. TNA:PRO, FCO 87/342, ‘Meeting between the Minister of State and Mr Glen Barr’, Londonderry, 25 June 1974.

6. TNA:PRO, CJ 4/404, ‘Meetings with various loyalist delegations’, 15 May 1974, Stormont Castle. Unofficial accounts of these meetings were first published in Fisk (1975a: 64–65).

7. Only in 1999 did the UVF claim responsibility, although contemporary media reports immediately suspected their involvement. Robert Fisk, ‘28 killed, hundreds hurt by Eire car bombs: rush-hour devastation in central Dublin’, The Times, 18 May 1974: 1. ‘21 Die in Dublin Bomb Outrage’, Daily Telegraph, 18 May 1974.

8. TNA:PRO, FCO 87/341, ‘Talk with Mr Ken Gibson of the UVF’, Laneside, 21 May 1974.

9. TNA:PRO, FCO 87/341, ‘Meeting with UVF at Laneside’, 27 May 1974. Present at this meeting were Ken Gibson, John Falls, Tom West, Stanley Grey, James Allan (FCO) and Michael Oatley (MI6).

10. Ibid: 1.

11. TNA:PRO, FCO 87/342, ‘Meeting with Volunteer Political Party (with Allan and Oatley)’, Stormont Castle, 26 June 1974. Kelvin White at the FCO's Republic of Ireland department added his concern to this, noting in the margin, ‘it seems that the VPP is going to be even more subservient to the UVF than the [sic] Sinn Féin is to the IRA’.

12. Ibid.

13. TNA:PRO, FCO 87/341, ‘Meeting with UVF at Laneside’, 27 May 1974.

14. TNA:PRO, FCO 87/341, ‘Talk with Mr Ken Gibson of the UVF’, Laneside, 21 May 1974. Ken Gibson described Barr's approach as ‘hedonistic’.

15. TNA:PRO, FCO 87/342, ‘Meeting with G. Barr and A. Tyrie at Laneside’, 12 June 1974.

16. TNA:PRO, FCO 87/342, ‘Note for the record’. Meeting with Barr and Tyrie at Laneside, 19 June 1974.

17. TNA:PRO, FCO 87/342, Allan to Cooper, 25 June 1974, recording another meeting with Barr on 21 June.

18. TNA:PRO, FCO 87/342, ‘Meeting with Messrs Glennie Barr and Andy Tyrie’, Laneside, 22 July 1974.

19. TNA:PRO, FCO 87/342, ‘Meeting with Messrs Glennie Barr and Andy Tyrie’, Laneside, 22 July 1974.

20. TNA:PRO, FCO 87/342, ‘Meeting with UWC Strike co-ordinating committee’, Stormont Castle, 7 August 1974. Represented at this meeting, beyond the UDA, UVF and Red Hand Commandos, were Down Orange Welfare, the Orange Volunteers, the Ulster Service Corps and the Ulster Special Constabulary Association. The Secretary of State, two junior ministers (Orme and Donaldson), his Permanent Secretary Sir Frank Cooper, Laneside's James Allan and others represented the NIO.

21. TNA:PRO, FCO 87/341, ‘Notes of meeting with Northern Ireland Labour Party’, Stormont Castle, 26 February 1974. Counsellor W. Boyd, D. McIldoon, A. Scott and Rev. J. Stewart.

22. Ibid.

23. De-proscription of the UVF and Sinn Féin had also been considered briefly by the NIO in early May 1973, but this was not implemented. See TNA:PRO, CJ 4/862.

24. TNA:PRO, CJ 4/643. Undated memorandum on de-proscription, Philip Woodfield, c. February 1974.

25. Ibid.

26. Ibid.

27. TNA:PRO, FCO 87/342, ‘Meeting with Seamus Loughran at Laneside’, 9 July 1974.The first recorded meeting with British Officials and Sinn Féin at Laneside (with Seamus Loughran) did not occur until July 1974, although it is rumoured Jimmy Drumm and Billy McKee were earlier visitors.

28. TNA:PRO, CJ 4/838, ‘Meeting between Frank Cooper, James Allan and a UDA delegation’, 27 February 1975.

29. Ibid.

30. TNA:PRO, CJ 4/2399, ‘Meeting between the Secretary of State and the Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee’, Stormont Castle, 28 February 1975.

31. TNA:PRO, CJ 4/2399, ‘Meeting between the Secretary of State and the Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee’, Stormont Castle, 28 February 1975.

32. In July 1975 contingency plans were laid down by the NIO due to ‘talk in Loyalist circles for preparations being made for Doomsday’. TNA:PRO, CJ 4/1159, ‘Cabinet: Official Committee on Northern Ireland’, note by Northern Ireland Office, 3 July 1975.

33. LSE, REES 3/4. Merlyn Rees later commented that ‘Belfast was full of incestuous gossip. It was becoming a pastime for those wishing to look important’.

34. TNA:PRO, CJ 4/974. Laneside talks on Convention Report, third meeting, Andy Tyrie and John Orchin, 21 November 1975.

35. TNA:PRO, CJ 4/1359. Donald Middleton's note on ‘Mr Sammy Smyth's “Community Convention” Plan’, 25 September 1975.

36. TNA:PRO, CJ 4/974. Laneside talks on Convention Report, fourth meeting, Samuel Smith, 23 November 1975.

37. Ibid.

38. TNA:PRO, CJ 4/1359. Middleton to Leahy, 19 February 1976.

39. LSE Archives. Papers of Stanley Orme 1/3, ‘The Last Chance for Northern Ireland?’ c. 17–23 November 1972.

40. At the same debate Kevin McNamara had described Vanguard as ‘a queer sort of Nationalist Socialist body’; Harold Wilson had famously also once described Unionist MPs as ‘hacks supporting the English Tory Party’, Parliamentary Debates (Commons), 846, 21 November 1972, 1186 and Parliamentary Debates (Commons), 711, 6 May 1965, 1562.